Originals
by Tomoe Mami
Summary: After getting a distress message on her Digivice, Ken goes to the Digital World, unaware of what was happening. She comes across a battle with the other Chosen against the Kaiser and decides to help.
1. Distress Call

Title: Originals

Author: Apollomon x Stingmon, Tomoe Mami

Summary: After getting a distress message on her Digivice, Ken goes to the Digital World, unaware of what was happening. She comes across a battle with the other Chosen against the Kaiser and decides to help.

...

Chapter 1: Distress Call

It had been a while since she last talked to her partner. After the Great War, things just seemed different. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. For starters, she was more mature for her age and very wary of those she didn't know. War can do that to a person, she guessed.

She looked at the essay she was writing for class and wondered how the others were doing. She managed to stay in touch with two of her team-mates. The first was a young boy, the same age as her, from America, named Wallace. They had emailed and voice chatted to each other over the years and had gotten very close, despite him being on the other side of the world. Wallace had two Digimon and was the Guardian of Destiny.

Unlike Wallace, who lived in America, the other member of her team lived in Japan. The only other female member of her team lived in Odaiba with her brother. Ken smiled slightly as she remember the other girl. Ken remembered that her team-mate was always being very motherly towards her and Wallace. Jun was the Guardian of Love and Friendship after all. She did say very often that she wished she was her sister, instead of having an annoying brother. Ken assumed that she and her brother didn't get along very well. Then again, her and Jun only talked about twice a week. However, she wasn't really close to Jun that much and she didn't really have any friends that really knew her, other than Wallace.

It was sad really. She had always wanted a friend. Someone she could talk to without rejection, someone that can understand her. She had always never liked looking like a girl. She enjoyed playing soccer and writing programs, like Wallace. She enjoyed the rush of running and laughing when she plays sports with the guys. She dressed like them most of the time. As much as it annoyed Wallace, who often tells her that she shouldn't have to hide who she is just to please her parents.

She sighs wondering if there was someone who would just want to be her friend and not because she was the sister of Osamu Ichijouji or a genius. Was, being the key word. She sighed as her eyes drifted to the photograph of her older brother. When was the last time she visited his grave? A week ago? Two weeks ago? A month?

She sighed again and turned her attention back to her essay. Why did she need to learn about the war anyway? War was cruel? It was unkind? It destroyed families and friends alike? Like the Digimon… Wormmon…

 _Beep_. _Beep_. _Beep_.

Ken jumped slightly at the sound of her Digivice. She furrowed her brow in confusion. It had been years since her Digivice beeped, especially after the gate closed five years ago. She placed her essay down as she got off her bed. Ken walked towards her computer desk and opened the first draw. She blinked as the rectangular digivice beeped red.

Ken felt her blood run cold as she realized it was a distress call from Wormmon. She grabbed the Digivice and started to turn on her computer. She waited impatiently as the computer booted up and asked for her password. After typing it in, her Digivice glowed. She gasped as a window appeared on the screen with an image of the Digital World. Ken only had a moment to think as her computer screen glowed, along with her digivice, before she was sucked in.

...

Ken groaned as she stumbled to the ground. It was official. She hated travelling to the Digital World by the computer. She blinked. Wait? The Digital World? Ken sat up and looked around. She smiled as she saw the beautiful Digital World that she saved and loved so much.

"Ken!" Tears filled Ken's eyes as Wormmon crawled happily to her.

"Oh my gosh! Wormmon! It's been so long!" Ken held her partner close to her chest as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"I know! I missed you so much!" Wormmon exclaimed as his own tears fell.

Ken smiled as she hugged her partner. It had been five of her years since she last seen Wormmon. She wondered how many years have passed in the Digital World since then? Ken paused in her musing as her hand came upon something rough and bumpy on Wormmon's naturally smooth body. She pulled him away slightly so she can investigate the area that she touched. Ken frowned when she saw a small straight welt on Wormmon's green skin. Ken frowned in worry. _What could have caused this?_

While Ken was checking Wormmon's welt, Wormmon was studying his partner's appearance. Despite what others thought of him, Wormmon was very intelligent and had a keen eye for detail, especially when his partner was concerned. He studied his partner and noticed that she changed quite a bit. Ken stilled dressed like a tomboy, but it was the clothes that she was wearing that interested him. Unlike when she was younger, Ken was wearing grey slacks, a white shirt underneath her grey jacket, and black shoes. On her jacket's collar, Wormmon noticed, there was some kind of crest, maybe from the school. If he remembered correctly, Ken mentioned that her and her brother go to private school. He also noticed that Ken's hair grew down to her chin in layers. _It fits her_. He thought before he looked at his partner when she spoke.

"Who did this to you?" Wormmon looked up and noticed that Ken's lips were pressed together in a thin line and her eyes were flashing with pink, gold, and white swirls. Wormmon sighed as he felt the ancient power radiating from their bond. It had been a long time since he felt her warm energy connecting with his, connecting them in both soul and body that surpassed even those bonded to the Chosen Children that came after them.

"It's a long story." Ken gave him a concerned look. "I'll explain it to you when we are out of danger."

"Danger? What you mean?" Ken's brow furrowed in confusion and worry. "There's not another Great War going on, is there?"

He chuckled slightly. "Well, not the type of war we dealt with in the past. To make the long story short, there is this human who calls himself the Kaiser. He uses these Dark Rings and Dark Towers to enslave the Digimon and is trying to conquer the Digital World." Ken's eyes narrowed slightly in unsurprised anger.

"Is this Kaiser the one that hurt you?" Wormmon nodded.

"The Kaiser was trying attacking a village that I was staying in. I tried to protect one of the elder Digimon that I was staying with." Wormmon's antenna drooped slightly at the memory. "I failed to protect her. The Kaiser used his whip on me and managed to ring everyone else." Wormmon felt Ken stiffen when he said that.

"Why didn't you get ringed than?" Ken asked through gritted teeth.

"The Kaiser saw no need to. He thought and I quote, 'you are nothing but a pathetic, worthless bug. You're not even worth being my slave'."

Wormmon winced as his partner let out an angry, girlish shriek. "HE WHAT? JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON HIM!"

"You might get your chance." Wormmon murmured quietly.

"He's nearby?" Ken asked after her initial burst of anger died down.

"Yeah. He was last seen attacking one of the older Chosen Children's Agumon."

Ken blinked. "Chosen Children?"

"Yeah. They came after two of your earth years. There are eight of them. Each of them got a less powerful version of your traits called Crests. However, each only has one and only two of them were able to reach Mega."

"That's interesting. I assumed that there were others after us since I say this battle on the battle. Two teens were in the computer I believe."

"That's right. There's also three new Chosen. They don't have Crests, but they have Digimentals with the Crests on them. They're the Armour Digimentals that we had to hide away all those years ago."

Ken frowned. "If the Chosen had to find the Armour Digimentals, than something big is going on. Maybe something that is a lot bigger then what we are aware of." Wormmon nodded in agreement. It made sense. During the Great War, the Ancient form of evolution was a very powerful source of power and was used to fight their enemies. However, the powers were deemed too dangerous in the wrong hands. As a result the powers were converted into Armour Digimentals, with the instruction that they had to hide them until the day they are needed.

The sound of screaming and fighting snapped Wormmon out of his thought. He frowned as his partner got up with a determined look on her face. _Uh oh. I know that look_. Wormmon looked at his partner worried as she ran towards the noise. He clung to her chest as she ran. _When had she gotten this fast? I don't remember her being this quick. Her speed is amazing_.

...

Ken couldn't believe the damage done to the village. It was completely destroyed. She had decided to hide behind a tree and watch as the villagers run away from the controlled Unimon. She frowned when she saw the Dark Ring. It had some type of DigiCode on it, but it was too far for her to read. She glanced at her Digimon.

"You think you can take him?" She whispered.

Wormmon looked unsure. "Maybe, if I can evolve."

Ken smiled slightly. "Why wouldn't you? You said the Towers and Rings block normal evolution." Wormmon's eyes widened at that. "Who ever said our way was normal?"

"It's not. Ours is not. Ours is the only one that is based on the Ancient Evolution."

She smiled at her Digimon as she stepped into the open when the controlled Digimon was about to attack a defenceless Child reptile Digimon. The controlled Digimon paused in its attack and turned to her when she challenged it.

"Hey you! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" The controlled Digimon's eyes glared at her. However, the Digimon wasn't intimidating at all. She faced Digimon far scarier than him. Ken glared back at the Digimon, as her own Digimon took a defensive stance in front of her. The Digimon growled at them and began to charge at them.

Ken simply raised a brow at the Digimon as it came charging at them. "Run, child! Run!" Ken remained where she was as a Child level Digimon and a few others yelled. She gave a levelled look to the Digimon as her amulet began to glow from under her jacket.

Wormmon stood his ground as he took a protective stance in front of his partner. He eyed the Digimon warily as it came close to them. Wormmon felt the warm energy of his partner as she watched the controlled Digimon in a calm manner. He smiled slightly, knowing that Ken already tapped into her power from the crystal amulets that all Guardians have around their necks.

"I call upon the Ancient Powers of Light. Light Shield!" A bright shield of light surrounded them the moment Ken spoke those words. The Unimon collided with the shield and landed a good ten feet away.

The Digimon that were watching gasped. "No way!"

"Is that the power of the Guardians?"

"I thought they were just a legend?"

 _If only they knew?_ Wormmon thought to himself as Ken dropped the shield. Ken reached into her jacket pocket and took out her Digivice. Ken's Digivice was rectangular in shape, much like the older Chosen Children. However, Ken's Digivice had four buttons and was engraved with her traits: Kindness, Miracles, and Light.

"Evolve!" Was the last thing Ken said before both her amulet and Digivice glowed pink.

Ken smiles as Wormmon is engulfed in a pink light, signalling that he was evolving to his Adult form.

"Wormmon Crystal Evolve too… Stingmon!"

"He evolved!" The reptile Digimon exclaimed in shock.

"Aim for the Dark Ring!" Another Digimon yelled as Stingmon swooped into the air when the Unimon began to attack again.

"You heard them Stingmon! Destroy the Dark Ring!"

"Consider it done!" Stingmon replied as he dodged the Unimon's attack and kicked him against a tree. "Spiking Strike!" Stingmon yelled as his stinger swiftly destroyed the Dark Ring before the Digimon was able to shake off his daze. Once the Dark Ring was destroyed, the Unimon's eyes went from red to blue. The Unimon stared at Stingmon in confusion as Ken walked towards them.

"Are you okay, Unimon?" Ken asked the now free Unimon.

"Yes… thank you." Unimon replied as the other Digimon began talking among themselves about what just happened. Unimon seemed to pick up a few of the comments mentioned, since he started glancing at Stingmon and her with a look of shock. "You're one of them? One of the Guardians from the Great War?" Ken smiled at him.

"The Great War?" A Digimon gasped.

"But that was like three centuries ago." Another Digimon exclaimed in shock.

"That's right. I'm the Guardian of Kindness, Miracles, and Light. " Ken replied with a smile. "Though it's only been five years on Earth, since my group last been here." The Unimon nodded.

"A lot has happened since your group last came here, Guardian."

"I kind of figured that when Wormmon told me that there were more kids that got chosen after my group."

"That's right. There has been a lot of close calls with the rising darkness in the Digital World lately." Unimon said thoughtfully. "Especially with the two worlds being synced now."

"What? Really? The Digital and Human World are synced now?"

"Yes, Guardian, among other things."

"Things just seem to be getting more confusing by the minute." Ken said with a slight frown on her features.

"I'll be more than happy to clear things up for you." Unimon said with a smile as Ken smiled brightly at him.

"That'd be great! Thank you."

...

Greymon wondered where this power came from. It didn't last very long, but he knew he felt something. This power felt ancient, something he hadn't felt before. He still wondered where this strange power came from and whom it belonged to. He just hoped the Kaiser hadn't detected this strange power yet. Who knew what he would do if the Kaiser got his hands on it?

He continued walking through the forest thinking about the strange power and hoping he wouldn't run into the Kaiser, again. Greymon stopped his musing when he realized that he was starting to be surrounded by five Airdramon. Greymon narrowed his eyes as he spotted the Kaiser riding on one of them, who was grinning madly at him. Things were definitely not looking good for him.

...

Ken couldn't believe all that has happened since she last been in the Digital World. The Dark Masters and VenomVamdemon sounded like bad news, but they were nothing compared to the bad guys her group faced. She frowned as Unimon and some of the other Digimon talked about the Kaiser. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. The guy sounded like a jerk and just plain awful.

She blinked when she heard laughter from above her. She looked up to see a flock of Airdramon passing by. Ken jumped when all the Digimon, including her Digimon, gasped: "It's the Kaiser!" Ken watched in concern as all the Digimon went to look for cover, in fear of the Kaiser.

Ken looked at her Digimon. "This doesn't look good." She said with a sigh.

Stingmon nodded as he looked in the direction that the Kaiser was going. "Ken, I think we could follow him."

"You think so?" She asked as she began to plot how to stop the Kaiser and his evil.

"Yeah, the Chosen's Digimon could be in that direction. I fear he might be in trouble."

"Let's go help him then." Ken said as Stingmon picked her up and placed her on his shoulder.

"Hang on!" Ken did as she was told and smiled brightly as Stingmon flew into the air and toward the destination of the Chosen's Digimon.

...

Ken couldn't believe her eyes. The Kaiser was a kid in a crazy outfit, which was way to flashy, and he clearly had too much time on his hands. But she still couldn't believe that some kid would treat the Digimon so badly, like he had the right. Sure what he was doing wasn't nearly as bad compared to the twisted bad guys she faced, but still.

Ken grimaced at the poor Digimon. The poor Greymon was ringed and was being taken away by the Kaiser minions. They were too late to save him. She rolled her eyes as flashy boy laughed evilly as he retreated with the poor digimon.

 _There's got to be a way to help him_ , she thought mournfully.

"What do we do?" Stingmon whispered in frustration.

Ken frowned as she thought. _What do we do? It's not like we can follow him and find out where he's going_. Ken blinked at the thought. _Or maybe we can_.

"How's your stealth and speed?"

"Pretty good." Stingmon answered as he glanced at his partner curiously, wondering what she was up to. "Why?"

Ken smiled at him, mischievously, as plans formed in her head. "I think it's time for a spy operation."

...

The flames were getting wild and out of control. How were they going to stop the Meramon? None of the Digimon's attacks were working. It just seemed that they were making things worse. Hikari bit her bottom lip in uncertainty. _What are we going to do? Nothing we are doing is working_.

Hikari was startled out of her thoughts when she heard a scary roar. It sounded angry and insane, not entirely normal. Hikari glanced up in the direction of the sound and gasped in horror. In the sky, being held up by the Kaiser's five Airdramon was SkullGreymon.

"It's SkullGreymon!"

Hikari watched in horror as the terrifying Digimon went berserk, somehow breaking free of the ropes and taking down four of the Airdramon with him as he landed on the ground. Hikari had to admit that SkullGreymon was more terrifying in person, than what her brother told her.

"Anyone got a plan?" Daisuke asked as the Digimon tried to protect them. Hikari wasn't sure if they could stop SkullGreymon. He was too powerful and deadly, literally.

"I got a plan!" Takeru said, looking just as scared as she was and was shaking just as badly. "I say we run, and run some more!" Daisuke gave him a confused and stubborn look as Hikari watched the Digimon in fear, since their attacks did nothing to the Digimon. It was a good effort, but nothing they did helped. Just one attack from SkullGreymon resulted with all the Digimon reverting back into their previous forms.

"V-mon!"

"Armadimon!"

"Hawkmon!"

Hikari took a few steps back as SkullGreymon roared insanely. Hikari paled slightly as the skull digimon stared at them emotionlessly.

"Everyone get back!" Nefertimon yelled as she and Pegasmon flew above them. "Get to safety!"

"But we have to stop SkullGreymon!"

"Sure, stick together like a bunch of baby ducks and in direct line of fire," Pegasmon replied sarcastically. "Get moving!"

Hikari and the others hesitated on what to do. That moment of hesitation was a mistake, though; a huge one on their part. With that small moment of hesitation, SkullGreymon attacked them.

"RUN!" Was the last thing she heard before her D-3 started beeping, followed by two voices that she didn't recognize yelling in unison…

"Double Moon Shooter!"

"Light Shield!"

And then there was a bright, blinding light surrounding them. Hikari gasped as she felt the strong energy coming from this light. It was Light, the same light that connected her to her crest, but it was stronger and more powerful. She blinked as someone stood in front of her and the others. In front of her was a cute boy with navy coloured hair. He had violet eyes and a Tamachii Elementary School uniform. His hand was glowing a soft white light as his palm was faced out, creating the barrier that surrounded them and the Digimon.

Hikari noticed that there was something glowing from around the boy's neck. She couldn't tell what it was, though. In his other hand was a Digivice. It had a similar shape and size as the ones that her brother had. However, instead of being plain, the Digivice was decorated with three symbols. Hikari wasn't sure what two of the symbols were, but she did recognize her own Crest of Light.

 _He's able to control Light, like me. Who is he?_

"Stingmon! Plan 2A!" Hikari blinked in shock as the insect Digimon called Stingmon charged at incredible speed towards the DarkTyrannomon that the Kaiser summoned after the Dark Tower was destroyed.

"Whoa." Takeru and Daisuke breathed in equal shock as Stingmon swiftly dodged the Digimon and destroyed the Dark Rings.

"That Digimon is strong." Iori commented as he glanced at the older boy that just saved them with impressive strength and power.

"He should be." They all jumped as the boy replied, without even glancing back at them or removing his gaze from the fight. "I amplified his energy and speed at least fifteen percent before we got here."

"Amplified?" Iori asked in confusion. The boy turned to them slightly. A small smile appeared on his face. Iori's eyebrows rose slightly as he recognized the boy from the TV commercial they saw the other day, and the very same boy that didn't come to the soccer game.

"I will be more than happy to clear things up when we are out of danger." Ken was interrupted by his Digivice beeping. Ken returned his attention to the battle as Stingmon's voice was heard from the Digivice.

" _Ken, the majority of the Dark Rings have been taken care of. However, we might need to use a different plan for the SkullGreymon. He's very dangerous at close range_."

"Alright, I'm going to increase your speed again. Use Alpha Formation 62. SkullGreymon needs to be dealt with as quick as possible."

" _Understood_."

"What are you going to do?" Iori asked as he watched the boy prodigy close his eyes and take a deep breath. He vaguely wondered how much energy the boy had to use to keep this barrier up to protect them.

"Exactly what I said I was going to do." He simply replied as the glow around his neck began to glow with a white and golden light. "I call upon the Ancient Powers of Light and Miracles. Light Speed! Armour of Miracles!"

They all watch in amazement, totally unaware of the two beeping D-3s, as a golden light engulfed Stingmon, giving him a golden armour. They watch as Stingmon seemed to disappear as he flew towards SkullGreymon. SkullGreymon roared angrily as Stingmon attacked him from behind, making him fall to his knees. SkullGreymon didn't have anytime to react as Stingmon attacked him again with a golden beam, reverting him back to an unconscious Agumon.

Stingmon sighed in relief, glad that the Chosen's Digimon was back to normal. He frowned at the Dark Ring around the Digimon's neck. He would have to remove that. Stingmon gathered some energy in his right hand and was prepared to aim it at the Dark Ring when he was suddenly attacked by three Airdramon.

Stingmon moved out of the way and glared at the three Digimon. In the distance another Airdramon picked Agumon up and flew away. Stingmon growled as he saw the Kaiser, smirking at him from his spot on one of the Airdramon.

"Well, you are a strong one." He said matter-of-factly. "You and your partner are very interesting." He smiled cruelly. "Until we meet again, Digimon." The Kaiser sneered before he and the other Airdramon made their leave.

Hikari frowned as the Kaiser captured Agumon and left. She bit her lip in worry as Stingmon landed in front of them. The strange glow disappeared when the boy lowered his hand. The light barrier that was protecting them disappeared along with Stingmon's armour.

"Sorry about your friend." The boy said with a sigh. Hikari smiled sadly at that.

"Hey! Thanks for helping us out!" Daisuke said with a smile on his face. "Your Digimon is awesome!"

"It was my pleasure." The boy replied with amusement lacing in his voice. Hikari smiled her own smile at Daisuke's excitement. Trust Daisuke to lighten an already miserable mood. "I have to say I was not expecting this Kaiser to be doing this much damage to the Digital World. It's sad really. After everything my group did to save the Digimon during the Great War, just to find it being taken over by a human no less. How funny is that?" Hikari frowned not sure what the boy was talking about. By the way he was talking it seemed as if he was not new to this. Maybe he was chosen before and came when his Digimon was in danger.

"The Great War? What's that?" Takeru asked curiously. Hikari wanted to know what the Great War was too. By the looks of the Digimon it seemed like a big deal. All the Digimon looked shocked and baffled as they stared at the boy and his partner.

"I can't believe it." V-mon said finally in surprise.

"What you mean, V-mon?" Daisuke asked his partner.

"They came back." Pegasmon breathed as he looked at Nefertimon.

"I thought the Guardians were just a legend." Nefertimon said as she looked back at Pegasmon with equal shock.

"I assure you we are real." Stingmon said with chuckle. "It's nice to know that some Digimon recognize us for what we did in the past."

"Stingmon is right." The boy said as he turned around to face them. Hikari and the others gasped as they recognized the boy in front of them. "It's very nice to meet you, Chosen Children. I've heard so many things about all of you." The boy smiled warmly as Daisuke grasped his offered hand.

"You're…"

"Ken Ichijouji," Ken replied as if they were speechless for words. "Guardian of Kindness, Miracles, and Light."


	2. Big Reveal

Chapter 2: Big Reveal

 _Tap, tap, tap… tap, tap, tap…_

That was all that could be heard in the quiet apartment as Ken approached the bedroom after being invited over to Koushiro's home. He knew the 01 Chosen were excited to learn about the team who came before them, but he had already decided not to reveal everything. He didn't fully trust them, of course.

War does that.

"Taichi, I wasn't finish-!" Ken opened to the door to see the one called Taichi playing with an auburn-haired teen apparently a year younger than him by covering his eyes. This must've distracted him from his work as his body language was stiff, as if he wasn't used to being touched without warning. The wild-haired brunette spun the other's chair around and kissed him on the lips, cutting off his protest.

Ken raised an eyebrow wonderingly. _To be that intimate, they must have been going out for a while_.

"How long have you been sitt- Oh, hello!" Taichi's attention was directed towards Ken when Koushiro noticed the other boy standing at the door.

The Ichijouji boy watched Koushiro push Taichi away from him tenderly and stand up to greet him. "I'm Izumi Koushiro. I was told you're one of the Original Chosen?"

"That's right," Ken nodded confirmation.

Koushiro grabbed a small data pad from his desk and typed in some information. "Who else was on your team?"

Ken remained tight-lipped at that question. "One of my team-mates died in the last couple of years," he instead answered.

Koushiro froze, ashamed at his lack of tact. He also realized Ken was keeping things from them. That was fine; they could learn the information at a later stage. He made a mental note to inform his boyfriend about the lies later, after Ken had left. "… Alright, can you tell us more about this Great War?"

"It occurred in 1995, the day of the Hikarigaoka Incident," Ken shuddered as he replied. Hikari noticed immediately his mannerisms changed to become more feminine and it got her thinking. "The six of us were summoned that day in order to save the Digital World."

"Who was the enemy?"

"… The…" Ken had to pause to gather his courage when speaking about these foul Digimon. "… Demon Lords. They had corrupted a lot of Digimon, very nearly turning our partners. But we came. And we managed to beat them. You should be grateful your team didn't have to fight them. You would have been no match, especially against Demon."

Hikari spoke up. "Why's that?"

Ken turned to look at her and frowned slightly. "Because Demon can corrupt through emotions. Sneaky one, he is."

Koushiro typed some stuff into his data pad, cross checked it and then glanced at Ken again. "Daisuke informed me you contact his sister. How do you know her?"

"… Motomiya Jun? W-We're pen pals," Ken answered in a stammer.

He began to panic mentally. This Izumi kid was clever. Ken was sure he was looking into him or his story whenever he answered the questions.

He watched as Koushiro looked at Taichi, which resulted in Taichi raising an eyebrow subtlety and a small nod. "How? You're in two different districts," Koushiro clarified, knowing mail deliveries between districts would be longer than in western countries.

"Email, of course," Ken responded, hoping he'd gotten out of the rat trap.

There was a pause to the questioning and some more typing. Then, Koushiro glanced up again. "I find it strange that Jun also knows Wallace, one of my friends over in Colorado."

"Yeah," Taichi agreed. "And there's two unknown Chosen we don't know the names of..."

Koushiro blinked, clearing his attention from his computer. "What else aren't you telling us, Ken?" On second thought, since they were finding everything out now, telling his boyfriend later wouldn't be necessary.

Ken sighed and looked away for a moment. He hated having to do this, but they had caught him out. Refocusing his attention, he answered the implied accusations.

"I am one of the Original Chosen, that is true. I was six when Hikari would have been four, I'm guessing. I fought with Jun, Wallace, my big brother and two other Chosen in the Great War against the Demon Lords. We won, but barely. Osamu died two years ago from health implications sustained during the fight." He paused, reflecting on his life.

"All I wanted to do was help the Chosen when I learned the Digimon Kaiser was there-" Ken started again, but was cut off by Koushiro.

Clutching Taichi's hand, the auburn-haired boy inquired: "Why help people you didn't know? From what I'm understanding, the Great War made you wary of other people."

Ken nodded. "That's right. But the Kaiser had hurt Wormmon, so it became personal for me. When I saw your Digimon in trouble, from being captured by the Kaiser, I became really irritated. This guy was just treating Digimon like they didn't have feelings; I knew somewhere inside your Agumon was crying for help. I couldn't not intervene."

Taichi and Koushiro looked contemplative; they knew what Ken was explaining to them. At the same time, Ken had been unable to retrieve Agumon and free him of the Dark Spiral. But that wasn't his fault, either. An Airdramon had feinted at Stingmon, surprising him and catching him off guard.

"Please… I want to help get Agumon back for you!" Ken pleaded. Hikari noticed once again his mannerisms changed to reflect a female speaker and she decided she would talk to Ken about the issue. She was surprised, however, that the older Chosen couldn't hear the mannerism change. Perhaps Ken was so good at hiding her true self that not even boys could tell she was really a girl.

Still, there was silence as Taichi and Koushiro considered their options. Ken watched idly as Koushiro threw his head back to give his boyfriend a questioning look. Ken could see it wasn't one Taichi was used to and Koushiro obviously had a lot of curious expressions that Taichi must have have become familiar with.

"What do you think, Taichi? Ken did so well the first time, he might actually be able to destroy the Dark Spiral this time around." The auburn-haired teen reached up and pulled Taichi down for a kiss. The elder Yagami consented and kissed his boyfriend on the lips, before standing up.

"Sure, why not?" Taichi wanted to remain optimistic. It was his partner's life on the line they were risking, after all. He believed Ken had a plan to free Agumon; he just wasn't sure how he was going to achieve the end goal with the flock of Dark Ringed Airdramon around.

Ken had a resolute expression on his face. "Don't worry. I have a plan that's fool-proof this time." The Ichijouji boy was more determined than ever to complete his goal. He would not let Taichi down a second time.

Taichi could sense Ken's resolve and came over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know you'll succeed. You're the best Tamachii has. Don't want to let them down, right?" He smiled, winked and returned to Koushiro's side.

Ken blushed at Taichi's gesture and looked away. He then pulled out his D-Terminal and contacted a couple of people. A few minutes later, they confirmed that they would help Ken out. Smiling, he glanced at Taichi. "The plan's all set, Yagami-san. Some friends have agreed to help me with the mission. We'll get Agumon back for sure."

"I'm proud of you, Ken. You've done well," Taichi praised from beside Koushiro.

Hikari took a step forward. "Onii-chan, if I may…?" She looked at her older brother for permission.

Confused, Taichi nodded, wondering what was going on.

Hikari mouthed 'thank you' and turned to Ken. "Ichijouji-san, why are you hiding the fact that you're a girl?"

Taichi and Koushiro couldn't believe their ears. Taichi stared at her accusingly as Koushiro nearly fell out of his computer chair in surprise. "You knew Ken was a girl and didn't tell us?"

Hikari had the courtesy to flush slightly. "Sorry onii-chan," she mumbled in embarrassment. "But I wanted to make sure, after I heard the mannerism change earlier in the meeting." Tailmon agreed.

Bowing her head, Ken sighed. She should have calculated the fact Hikari was pretty good at picking up peoples' intentions and, apparently, their real identities into her equation. "I am a girl," Ken admitted, finally raising her head. "I'm not ashamed of it. I will be ashamed if you think less of me because of my deception."

Koushiro was the one who spoke. "I perceived it earlier as well, but wanted to see if Taichi could pick it up. I don't think any less of you, but still ask that you and your team-mates free Agumon. For Taichi's sake."

"You have my word, Izumi-san," Ken promised. She glanced to Taichi, waiting for his words.

He shrugged, before smiling widely. "I have nothing to say. I'm impressed."


	3. Guardians of Kindness, Destiny and Love

Ken stared at the glass of water in front of her. She personally didn't like all the questions that the Chosen kept throwing at her. She didn't like talking about her adventures; it was not pleasant. The questioning did go for a little while, until things started to get a little too personal. So she did what she did best; she clammed up and didn't budge. Koushiro seemed to notice this and decided to question her about something else.

Ken was curious when Koushiro asked about why Stingmon was able to evolve around a Dark Tower. She raised an eyebrow at that as she spoke. "From what I heard, the Dark Towers only block normal evolution. Wormmon is fully capable of evolving because his evolution is based on the Ancient Evolution. This is called Crystal Devolution."

"Crystal Devolution?" The elder Yagami asked.

"It's like when you used your Crests," she had told them. "Your Crests are actually less powerful versions of our crystals." The three Chosen were surprised by this. They weren't aware that there was something more powerful than their Crests. On another note, Gennai never mentioned the origins of their Crests at all. Well, at least they know now.

"Is that what I saw glowing around your neck earlier?"

Ken had nodded and lifted her crystal from underneath her shirt to show them. Hikari was first to notice that her Crest was engraved on the crystal. Or more accurately, she had inherited Ken's Crest since it was obviously hers first. Koushiro had imputed this into his data pad for later studying, followed by more questions about this type of evolution before they decided it was getting close to dinner.

Ken sighed as she relaxed in the Izumis' living room. Ken was grateful that the Izumis' were kind enough to give her a ride home after dinner. Ken hadn't enjoyed the phone call, though. Her mother was disappointed that she was at a boy's house and not home studying. The conversation had been very, very short. She hated living up to their expectations. She was not allowed to be herself and now had even less time to do the things she loved. Thankfully, her soccer team-mates were more than understanding and worked just as hard when she actually had the time to be at practice or the games.

She closed her eyes and listened to the other conversations going on around her. She vaguely heard someone coming towards her, but paid no mind to it. She was distracted with her self loathing of her personal life. She should have expected that Hikari would figure out about her being a girl, but would she tell others? Her parents would not be happy about that. Her parents were, sadly, old fashioned and blinded by all the fame they got when Osamu was alive that they completely forgot they had a daughter, ignoring her half of the time. But when he died two years ago, they pressured her to take his place, since it would not be good if they did not have a son. It hurt and Wallace expressed his dislike everyday that they video-chatted.

Ken opened her eyes when she heard someone clear their throat to get her attention. She wasn't surprised to see Hikari and Tailmon sitting next to her and had a feeling she was not going like what Hikari wanted ask her.

"Is there something you want to talk about, Yagami-san?"

"Well," Hikari began with a concerned smile. "You didn't answer my question before." Ken knew she wasn't going to like this. "I don't mean to pry, but why did you hide that you were a girl?"

Ken frowned. She had hoped Hikari wouldn't bring this up again. It was personal and something she hated thinking about, especially since Wallace talked about it non-stop. "It's private," Ken told her bluntly before she returned her attention to the glass of water in front of her.

Hikari frowned in concern at the cryptic response. Hikari didn't like to pry and she couldn't understand why the older Chosen would want to hide the fact that she was a girl. Ken said she wasn't ashamed of whom she was; she made that obvious at the meeting. Hikari could tell that Ken was a strong, confident leader. Although, she was a little wary of others, which she understood considering Ken's involvement in the Great War. These Demon Lords didn't sound very nice.

Despite this, though, Hikari couldn't shake the feeling that Ken needed help, that she needed a friend. Ken was stiff when she asked about her being a girl. The older girl also seemed cautious and there was also a hint of pain in her violet eyes. She couldn't ignore this connection that they had. Hikari couldn't explain it, but she had a feeling it was because they both have the same trait: Light. She glanced at Tailmon and noticed that she seemed uneasy, saddened even.

Hikari thought back to the meeting and noticed that Ken's group were not even near each other. One lived in Odaiba, the other lived in America and Ken lived in Tamachii. That's not even including the two unknown Chosen or their whereabouts. Hikari frowned at that thought. She must be lonely, especially with the death of her brother.

Hikari placed her hand on Ken's shoulder. "Ichijouji-san, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Ken returned her attention to her with curiosity in her eyes. "I know you don't have a reason to trust me, but if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm available."

Ken's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected this. Sure, they were all connected by the Digital World, but after everything she been through she couldn't trust them yet. However, Hikari felt different. She didn't push for an answer and there was also the fact that Hikari inherited her trait. Ken smiled shyly, still surprised by Hikari's kind gesture. Hikari was different from her friend Wallace, who she had known for years. However, she couldn't ignore their connection. Hikari was being considerate of her feelings and was offering her support and help. Ken couldn't turn that down, could she? She couldn't turn down a possible friendship that she had wished for for sometime; not that she doesn't enjoy Jun and Wallace's company.

"I… uh… thank you, Yagami-san."

…

Ken held her tongue as her parents expressed their displeasure for not being home when she was supposed to be home studying. She didn't flinch or cry when her father slapped her across the face. She didn't dare show any emotions towards them. She let them yell and lecture the same old speech about her behaviour. She had heard it all before. She was supposed to be home at a certain time. She was supposed to attend the interviews they set up for her. She was to be polite and courteous and be the Genius Boy of Tamachii. She had to live by that reputation, for her brother's sake.

Ken didn't bat an eye as she mumbled her good-nights to her parents before retreating to her room, her only sanctuary. She closed the door and locked it before going to her computer. She sighed and rubbed her cheek as she took her computer off sleep mode. She logged in, connected her ear-buds to the mic port and then opened Skype. She waited patiently for Wallace and Jun to answer their Skype Calls.

"Hey, Princess," Wallace greeted with a tired smile. He must have just woken up recently.

"Morning Wallace-kun," Ken greeted with a warm smile, not realizing that she was still rubbing her bruised cheek, getting Wallace's attention.

"Ken, did someone hit-" Wallace started, but was interrupted when Jun finally connected with a wide grin on her face.

"Heelloo love birds!"

"WE ARE NOT LOVE BIRDS!" Ken and Wallace shrieked back to the Guardian of Love and Friendship.

"Not yet," Jun chimed in with a giggle. Ken and Wallace groaned in exasperation. Jun had been making it her mission to hook them up for two years now. "Ken-chan, is that a bruise?" Jun gasped in concern when she saw Ken's cheek. Wallace narrowed his eyes, while Ken sighed tiredly.

"Yeah," Ken replied, averting her eyes to the table. She thought she managed to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

"What was it for this time?" Wallace growled lowly.

"I was invited to Izumi Koushiro's house after I saved the Chosen from the Kaiser's slaves. So I was home past curfew," Ken mumbled, still not looking at them.

Wallace flushed slightly at the mention of his online friend. "I should have warned you about him. He's very good with getting information. It's not easy to withhold information from him," Wallace explained apologetically.

"Is he trustworthy?" Jun questioned. She too was just as wary of other people as Ken was.

Ken turned her eyes back to the computer screen to see Wallace nod his head. "Yes, he's very trustworthy. How much information did he manage to pry from you, Princess?" Wallace asked, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"He kept cross checking my story when he asked about you guys." Ken looked at Jun when she spoke. "Your brother told him I contacted you and managed to figure out that you knew Wallace as well."

Jun flushed. "The squirt must have overheard me when I answered your call earlier," she mumbled while Ken continued.

"He also questioned me on how I knew the both of you." Wallace frowned at that. "He also managed to figure out that there were others, but he didn't know Jamie or Adolf's names or where they were, thankfully. He also tried to get information about…" Ken paused and shuddered when she thought about the Demon Lords. "them."

"Damn," Wallace swore. Wallace knew how much Ken didn't like them, especially with all the horrors they went through, as well as the aftermath of that war. "He didn't upset you, did he?" Wallace asked in concern.

Ken sighed. "Maybe a little," Ken admitted. "It was hard to keep things hidden with him checking my story, while questioning me. I'm telling you Wallace. It felt like I was being interrogated."

Jun huffed at this. "Insensitive jerk," Jun mumbled as she glared at Wallace. "Who do they think they are? If anyone should be interrogating anyone, it's us."

Wallace rubbed the back of his neck. "Can we not talk about this now? I'm sure Koushiro means well. We might be the first, but they are more connected to what's going on then we are."

Jun growled, while Ken sighed again. "Let's talk about the Kaiser." They turned their attention back to her.

"That's right. You mentioned in your email that he is threatening the Digital World," Wallace said with a worried expression as he glanced at his partner briefly.

"What's going on?" Jun asked.

"The Kaiser is a human. He is building these Dark Towers to prevent the Digimon from evolving and is enslaving them through the use of Dark Rings." They gasped. "Wormmon got whipped by him when he attacked and enslaved a village." Ken narrowed her eyes in anger. "He called Wormmon a pathetic bug and unworthy to be his slave," Ken spoke venomously. "Just wait till I get my hands on Flashy Boy! I'll make him wish he never got within five feet of him."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, both Wallace and Jun laughed. "You're so cute when you're angry, Princess."

"He must be really bad if you gave him a nickname already," Jun said as she wiped away a tear.

Ken pouted at them, blushing slightly at the comments. "It's not funny and I am not cute," Ken mumbled with a glare.

"Sure, sure," they replied together.

Ken rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Ken said sarcastically. "You'll agree with me once you see him when we save Yagami Taichi's Agumon tomorrow." The Guardians of Love, Friendship, and Destiny gave each other determined looks before getting down to the reason for the video-chat.

"Are Jamie-kun and Adolf-kun going to help?"

"What's the plan, Princess?"

Ken leaned back on her chair, stretching her tired muscles as she answered their questions. "Jamie-kun and Adolf-kun unfortunately can't help. They both have important exams at the Police Academy and then they have drills afterwards. They said to keep them updated and hopefully they can help when they have time." Ken smiled teasingly as she said the next part. "Oh and Jun? Adolf said he can't wait to see his darling angel again." Ken and Wallace snickered at the payback.

Jun didn't comment, but she did have that dreamy look in her eyes before yelling: "HEY!"

"Moving along," Ken said with an amused smile. "Hikari's group are fighting the Kaiser with the Digimentals that we created and hid away."

"Serious?" Jun asked. "I knew I recognized that Chibimon that Daisuke carries around."

"That means that he was able to lift Adolf's Digimental," Wallace stated.

"Yagami Hikari has my Digimental of Light. Takaishi Takeru has Adolf's Hope. Inoue Miyako has your Digimental of Love, Jun. And Hida Iori has onii-chan's Digimental of Knowledge."

"That just leaves my Digimental of Friendship and Jamie's Purity and Honesty."

Ken nodded. "Yagami Taichi's group also inherited our traits, but they're called Crests."

They both blinked at that piece of info. "Wow, a lot sure has happened since we were last called," Jun breathed in awe. Wallace nodded.

"That much is true. I was a bit surprised myself when I learned about that's been happening in the last seven years. Now back to the Chosen: they have to use the Digimentals to evolve their partners. Taichi's group can't because of these towers."

"What about us?" Jun asked.

"We are not affected. Wormmon was fully capable of evolving and I'm assuming our Digimon can go straight to Perfect and Ultimate as well, if needed."

"Interesting," Wallace said as he stretched in his chair. "Terriermon is going to enjoy getting some action. He says it's been boring since Lopmon's disappearance."

Ken and Jun didn't say anything, but they knew Wallace missed Lopmon dearly.

"We'll find him Wallace," Jun said with a sad smile.

"I know," Wallace smiled back, but they knew it was forced.

"Okay," Ken began, changing the subject. She began pulled up the chat-room and began typing up some coordinates and instructions for the both of them. "I'm sending you the coordinates to open up Digital Gates on your end. This will allow you to travel to my house through the port, instead of the Digital World. I want all of us to go together. Wormmon is going to meet us there with Labramon and hopefully Bakumon, if Wormmon can find him."

"Sounds good," Jun said with a smile. She couldn't wait to see her cute little digital dog again.

"Is your mum fine with you skipping your lessons, Wallace?" Ken asked distractedly.

"Not really, but we made a deal."

"What's that?" Ken and Jun asked curiously.

"I can stay in Japan until the crisis is over, but I have to make sure I stay up to date with my studies."

"Must be nice to have online school," Jun said dryly.

Wallace shrugged. "Beats going to a school for the gifted. Besides I live in the middle of nowhere." Jun rolled her eyes as Ken sent all the information for them.

"Got it," they said together.

"Here's the plan," Ken told them seriously. "We are the only ones who can evolve. The Kaiser, no doubt, is going to have a flock of Airdramon around to make sure we can't get to SkullGreymon. We are going to have to take them out quickly by destroying all the Dark Rings. SkullGreymon needs to be taken out quickly too. He is very dangerous. We'll have to be fast as well. Stingmon was feinted by the Airdramon and couldn't get to Agumon before the Kaiser retrieved him."

"Sounds challenging," Jun murmured. "But nothing we haven't done before."

Wallace nodded. "Sounds fun, Princess. Can't wait to see you kick this guy's butt."

Ken rolled her eyes. "I'll talk to you guys tomorrow," Ken said when she saw that it was getting close to ten.

"Night!" they said before signing off. Ken yawned and put her computer to sleep. She got up and changed to get ready for bed. Tomorrow was going to be a very stressful day, she could tell. She just hoped nothing went wrong.


	4. Discoveries and Surprises

**Chapter 4: Discoveries and Surprises**

"I think I have everything, mum," Wallace said to his mother as she entered his room.

"Alright, dear. I already informed your grandmother that you'll be staying with her. I've told her the situation and understands that you'll be staying with her for a few weeks."

"Thanks," Wallace thanked as they hugged each other.

"You're welcome, dear. You be careful okay?"

"Don't worry," Terriermon piped in. "He's got me and Ken to watch out for him."

"Ah, that sweet girl from Japan that you talk to early in the morning everyday? I must thank her. I think she is the only one that you wake up early for."

"Time differences," Wallace interjected with a slight blush on his cheeks.

"You treat her right, young man. There aren't many like her," his mother said with a wink.

"MUM!"

…

Ken was glad both her parents worked until later. She really didn't want to explain how two people suddenly appeared into her room without using the front door. A smile crossed her face as she hugged her best friend.

"Princess, I missed you so much!" Wallace said in exaggeration.

"I talked to you last night," Ken said around a laugh.

"That doesn't count!" He insisted. "It's been years since I've seen you in person. We have so much catching up to do!"

Ken smiled softly and nodded as the parted. "So lovebirds," Jun interrupted as she tossed her arms around both of their shoulders in a sideways hug. "Have you decided to admit you like each other yet?"

"JUN!"

Jun laughed. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding. When are we going to the Digital World? I'm dying to see Labramon again."

"Yea! I can't wait to see Wormmon and Labramon!" They laughed at Terriermon's excitement to see his friends again.

…

He wasn't sure what he was expecting when he told Koushiro that Ichijouji had called his sister. Now, it made sense. But his sister knowing Ichijouji-san for years and was a Guardian too? He hadn't expected that.

Daisuke listened in dumb silence as Hikari told them about the meeting. The war must have been bad if Ichijouji-san was wary of people and wasn't willing to give some information up to them. But he had to admit that the boy - correction, girl - was impressive and powerful.

"I'm putting Ken in charge of this mission. She is bringing two of her team-mates to help. She will all brief us on her plan when we see her," Taichi spoke up. An air of authority surrounded him as well as fear.

Daisuke understood what Taichi was saying. But he didn't agree with putting Ichijouji in charge when he was the leader of the Chosen Children for crying out loud. What gives her the right to lead this mission? They had been fighting the Kaiser a lot longer then she has.

"Is there a problem, Motomiya-san?" Yamato asked suddenly, startling Daisuke from his thoughts.

"No," Daisuke replied back, not wanting to speak his thoughts. Yamato continued to stare at him with those 'you can't lie to me' eyes. Daisuke sighed. "Why is Ichijouji-san suddenly in charge of this mission? She just found out about the Digital World being in danger. What right does she have to lead us and do what I haven't done already?"

"Hold your tongue!" Tailmon yelled from her spot on table.

"Wha?"

"How dare you compare yourself to the Guardians? You are nowhere near their league!" Tailmon hissed in anger. "They are legendary. They risked their lives to protect us!"

"And we haven't?" Daisuke retorted back.

"What we are doing right now is child's play compared to the hell they went through for us against the Demon Lords!" Everyone fell silent. "The Guardians risked their lives; they had to learn to control their powers or risk being destroyed. Without them, we all would be dead or enslaved by the Demon Lords!"

Everyone was silent as they took in Tailmon's words. Just how powerful were the Guardians? "How bad are these Demon Lords?" Takeru asked.

"Well," Patamon began. "Think of it this way: the Dark Masters, Vamdemon, Apokarimon and the controlled Digimon under the Kaiser are babies compared to the Demon Lords."

"Are you serious?" Taichi exclaimed as he fell out of his chair.

"It's true," Chibimon chimed in. The other Digimon nodded and piped in their agreements.

Hikari, Takeru, Yamato and Taichi gave each other surprised looks. The Guardians were more powerful than even them.

…

"Labramon!"

"Jun!"

A smile crossed the two Guardians' faces at the warm reunion. It had been so long since they all came to the Digital World. It's so different now and had evolved from the ancient villages they were used to seeing.

Wallace watched the others as they talked to Terriermon and Wormmon. While Jun and Labramon were sobbing, Ken was talking softly to Bakumon. The poor thing. What was he doing now, now that Osamu was dead?

"What have you been doing since the Great War?" Ken asked the holy Digimon.

"I built this restaurant with a friend of mine. It helps keep me busy," Bakumon replied sadly.

"How's business?"

"Slow," he answered with a sigh. "The Kaiser has ruined a lot of business for us."

Ken frowned in response. "We're going to have to fix that. I'm going to make Flashy Boy's life a living hell."

"Name calling already?" Bakumon said, amused.

"She's been saying that since yesterday," Wormmon informed, while Terriermon laughed.

"You should have heard her this morning," Terriermon piped in. "She already made a plan to destroy him!"

"Wait, you heard that!" Wallace interrupted them. "I thought you were still asleep?"

"What? And miss the opportunity to hear you make a fool out of yourself in front of Ken? Not a chance!"

"Some friend you are."

"I know! I'm the best!"

"What happened to Lopmon?" Bakumon whispered as the two started to bicker.

"He was kidnapped," Ken whispered back. Bakumon's eyes widen in shock.

"Kidnapped? How? By who?"

Ken shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. Wallace said something about a virus called Diablomon. It's a long story. I'll tell you later." Bakumon nodded, wondering what happened to his dead friend.

"Ichijouji-san!" Ken looked up when she heard Hikari calling her. Walking behind Hikari was the rest of her team with the addition of the elder Yagami and an elder golden-blonde. Ken raised a brow at that. _This must be Takaishi's brother_ _._

"Nee-chan," Motomiya Daisuke greeted his sister with a frown.

"Hey squirt!" Jun greeted cheerfully, totally ignoring her brother's grim greeting. Ken glared at the younger as if he was a threat to her team-mates.

"Princess?" Wallace's voice momentarily distracted her from her planning to separate the two.

"Hmm?"

"I'm assuming these are the Chosen you were telling us about?"

"That's right." It was Taichi who replied.

Taichi offered his right hand to Wallace. "It's finally nice to meet you in person, Montgomery-san. I'm Yagami Taichi, Koushiro's boyfriend. This is my sister Hikari and her partner Tailmon."

"Hi," Hikari greeted with a warm smile.

"This is my best friend, Ishida Yamato and his brother Takaishi Takeru," Taichi introduced as he gestured to the two golden-blonde boys.

"Hey."

"Nice to meet you."

"As you know already, this is Motomiya Daisuke."

"Yeah, the annoying brother that gives our Jun a headache," Wallace replied and getting a glare from said boy.

"Hey!"

"Nice one, Wallace!" Terriermon laughed.

"Continuing on," Miyako interrupted. "I'm Inoue Miyako and this is my partner Hawkmon."

"Hello, I'm Hida Iori and this is my partner Armadimon," Iori introduced himself with a small bow.

"It's very nice to meet my brother's friends," Jun spoke up with a big smile. "As you know, I'm Daisuke's sister, Jun, and this is my partner Labramon."

"Hi!" Labramon greeted.

"For those that don't know me, I'm Wallace Montgomery and this is Terriermon."

"Nice to meet ya!"

"And you all know Princess and Wormmon!" Wallace said as he gestured to Ken.

Ken rolled her eyes as she cradled Bakumon in her arms. "I'm Ichijouji Ken as Wallace kindly mentioned. This is Bakumon. Nii-chan's Digimon."

Taichi and Hikari's eyes widened. "This is your brother's Digimon?"

"Yes, I'm Osamu's Digimon," the holy beast Digimon replied sadly.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Hikari told him after a few minutes of silence.

"Thank you."

The silence continued as two sides tried to figure where to go from there. Some wanted to go and discuss the plan to save Agumon, while others wanted to get to know the other group first. The silence lead to a heavy tension that was clearly visible among the two groups. Or at least it was visible among the Guardians and the four experienced Chosen.

"So, Nee-chan," Motomiya spoke up. "I know that Ichijouji-san is the Guardian of Kindness, Light and Miracles. But what are you the Guardian of?"

Jun blinked at the question. She could sense one of her traits within her brother and Ishida. Though, she was curious how her brother didn't know yet. "I'm the Guardian of Love and Friendship."

Yamato and Taichi's brows shot up. The two looked at each other, a silent question passing between them. Now, _that_ was interesting.

"And I'm the Guardian of Destiny," Wallace added.

"Yes, the holy couple," Jun piped in with a huge grin.

A rose shade coloured both of Ken and Wallace's cheeks at the mention of 'holy couple'. Ken's feminine mannerism was quite visible as she and Wallace screeched: "We are not a couple!"

"Not yet!" she sang. "You two are just in denial."

The two Guardians groaned as they glared at the older girl. They were so going to get back at her later, much later.

…

Hikari could clearly see why Motomiya-san said Ken and Wallace were like a couple. They completed each other in a way. She could see it in the way they looked at each other when Ken was telling the details of her plan. It was a very good plan if everyone did what they were supposed to do, that is.

Ken and her team agreed to be the head of the attack force. With the added increase of their Digimon's speeds, they can take out the Dark Rings before the Kaiser can say: "No! They destroyed another Tower!" It was a funny thought now that she thought about it.

"What about the rest of us?" Daisuke asked. Hikari glanced at him in worry. Daisuke didn't seem to fond of the plan. She hoped he wouldn't do something that could potentially put them in danger.

"While we hold off and free the Controlled Digimon, and distract the Kaiser," Ken said in tone that showed her experience in war. There wasn't a hint of that warmth that they saw earlier. "You guys are going to find Agumon before Flashy Boy can make him evolve to SkullGreymon again and do more damage."

"What happens if he does manage to evolve Agumon before we can save him?" Yamato asked, shocking the three new Chosen.

"Then we will have no choice but to fight him." Hikari didn't want to fight her friend, but she knew it was necessary. She glanced at Daisuke and noticed that his hands were clenched at his sides. His downcast eyes sparkled with so many conflicted emotions that it made her worry.

"But he's our friend," Daisuke mumbled, but no one seemed to hear him.

"If we need to, our Digimon can evolve to Perfect to deal with them," Ken continued with a small frown. "But I would like to leave that as a last resort."

The two elder siblings nodded at the plan. "Alright," Taichi breathed with a smile. "Let's get going."


	5. Hitch in the Plan

**Chapter 5: Hitch in the Plan**

They had caught the Kaiser in the act of transporting an Evil Spiralled Agumon… somewhere.

Ken noted that the Kaiser was standing on a ledge above them, his eyes hungrily watching the Child level. It was as if he was waiting to send a signal to the brainwashed Digimon's Spiral to make him evolve. Ken grit her teeth as Stingmon, Labramon's Adult form Darcmon and Wallace's Galgomon fought to contain the Airdramon, to break their Evil Rings.

Agumon was just standing in the middle of the clearing with two Airdramon guards flanking him. But what was off about these two was that they were aggressively protecting the Kaiser's prize, _without_ being controlled by Evil Rings.

Ken blinked, taking this in. "Hmm..." she mused, before refocusing her attention to give Stingmon more strength. _Odd_ , she thought as a side, realizing things were apparently not simple with the Kaiser. _Those two don't have Rings, so did they pledge their loyalty to the Kaiser? I never thought a free Digimon would be so stupid, but who am I to judge?_

A movement caught her attention up on the ledge and she turned her eyes there immediately. That blonde-haired devil of a Kaiser had raised his Digivice and shouted "Evolve!" as Agumon complied in his controlled state.

 _Damn it! What to?_ Ken thought, hoping it wouldn't be the Perfect level straight away. She prayed it wouldn't be SkullGreymon. The Chosen couldn't handle him last time and wouldn't be able to this time, either; if her calculations about Daisuke were correct.

Thankfully, it was just Greymon. Ken breathed a sigh of relief, but also held her prayers close to her chest. Perfect was only one level away now. It was make or break for the Chosen depending on whether the next form was the viral MetalGreymon or SkullGreymon.

Stingmon, Galgomon and Darcmon had freed the other Airdramon, so now they focused on the aggressive pair. The Airdramon did not want to back down, even after Agumon had evolved. Within moments, the hostile pair had been deleted. There had been simply no other choice.

The Guardians' Digimon withdrew a little to see how the Chosen's Digimon could handle Greymon. Knowing Jun and Wallace were watching their partners, Ken observed with disappointment at how the Chosen Digimon scattered at a Mega Flame from Greymon.

 _Were these Digimon really the legacy we left behind?_ Ken wondered, dismayed at the lack of bravery the Chosen Digimon had.

She was beginning to have doubts about the legitimacy of Daisuke's team. It was one thing to have the diluted powers of the Virtues as Crests, but another completely to have the Digimentals. Taichi's team had earned their place as heroes, but Ken was finding Daisuke's team to be a rip-off. They couldn't handle a SkullGreymon, so what hope would they have had against the Demon Lords had their positions been reversed?

Ken scoffed and shook her head to clear her thoughts. It was time to start wrapping this up, if Daisuke didn't mess things up any more than what he already had. She was about to communicate with Stingmon, when Greymon fired a Mega Burst at the ground, obscuring him from everyone's view.

 _Show time!_ "It's started, Stingmon. Keep an eye out for which form he takes," Ken cautioned her partner. She then caught the Chosen's attention, pointed to the evolving Greymon and nodded firmly, sliding a finger across her neck.

Hikari, Miyako, Iori and Takeru nodded back, understanding the gesture. Daisuke, however, wouldn't look at her. Ken raised an eyebrow and watched Miyako hit Daisuke, before pointing in Ken's direction. Daisuke stared for a moment, eventually nodding, but Ken could tell he didn't mean it. She exhaled heavily in annoyance and shook her head, but knew it would have to do.

It was the viral MetalGreymon standing before them.

Ken realized the Kaiser must have improved the Evil Spiral from the first use. A factor that would have to be improvised into the plan as it was, or they risked losing Agumon forever.

They scattered again when MetalGreymon unleashed his Trident Arm, despite Ken yelling "No!"

Jun and Wallace glanced over when they heard Ken's shout of disapproval and Wallace tched in annoyance. "They're following Daisuke's lead, even though Princess is in charge of this mission." He commented to Jun, who nodded, frowning at her younger brother.

"You need to focus!" Ken shouted as Stingmon came to land beside her, wondering what all the noise was about. "If you want to beat him, you can't keep running away!"

Miyako whimpered, clearly unused to the rough tone. Hikari spared a glance at Miyako and turned back to Ken. "We're trying, Ichijouji-san, but… he has us on the ropes." The younger Yagami tried to be brave as she admitted this.

Ken tilted her head down and raised an eyebrow, disbelieving of the comment. "I don't think you're trying hard enough." She made sure her tone was scathing enough that they heard her fury.

Without warning, a Kuwagamon landed near them and approached. "If I may have your blessing, O Guardian-"

"Who are you?" Ken instantly asked.

The Adult level bowed his head as best he could. "A Chosen Digimon, m'am. I was partnered to the Russian Chosen Child, Yuri." He pointed to the Kaiser up on the ledge. "But my partner has become increasingly unstable and I no longer wish to serve him while he is like this. I offer my services in return for the reawakening of my partner, to see him how he once was."

Ken considered her options, as Jun and Wallace came over. They had seen the newcomer and wondered what was going on. Stingmon explained briefly and the two Guardians nodded in acceptance.

The decision was made for them when Daisuke apparently cracked and cried out: "I won't fight MetalGreymon!"

Wallace merely shook his head, but Jun grit her teeth and growled out: "You're in for it, little brother!"

Together, they took a step forward in unison. "We call upon the Ancient Powers of Destiny and Friendship! Super Evolve!"

Both Wallace and Jun's Digivices and amulets glowed in their respective colours. They smiled grimly as their partners were enveloped in blue-red and gold lights, signalling that they were evolving to their Perfect forms.

"Darcmon, Galgomon – super evolve to… Angewomon, Gold Rapidmon!"

MetalGreymon wasted no time in getting started. He roared as his chestplate opened up and fired off two identical organic missiles that each resembled a large ugly smiling fish. The two Perfects dodged with barely enough time, turning to face their foe.

"Aim to injure with the intent to devolve to the Child level," Wallace explained.

Jun added: "And get that disgusting Evil Spiral off of him, too."

Angewomon and Gold Rapidmon nodded and took off towards their victim. They each fired their special attack, with MetalGreymon either standing there and taking the hit or striking back with Giga Destroyer. Angewomon and Gold Rapidmon weren't lucky every time, getting hit now and then.

However, sooner or later, they caused enough damage for MetalGreymon to devolve and Angewomon even got a lucky hit off. One of her arrows struck the Evil Spiral and it shattered as Agumon lay unconscious.

Before the Kaiser could do anything to retrieve the Child Digimon, Kuwagamon flew in and rescued him. He returned to the Chosen's and Guardians' sides with Agumon in his clawed hands, making clear his allegiance for now.


	6. Connections of Light and Friendship

**Chapter 6: Connections of Light and Friendship**

He looked on with disappointment. Cold sky blue eyes watched the plan fall to pieces. He'd been afraid of this. He narrowed his eyes as Ichijouji-san yelled at them. She was furious to put it mildly. She had every right to be.

The Guardians were powerful and worked as a unit. They were risking their lives to help them. They didn't have to. The Guardians could have clearly stayed out of this fight after the war they had been through, but they didn't. They were willing to help them, despite not knowing them.

Yamato wasn't sure how angry he should be at the moment. Taichi had given Daisuke the position of leader. But at this moment, he was acting anything but that. He was giving the Guardians a bad impression of them.

The Guardians did not look too pleased with the way they kept scattering away like cowards.

"No! If you want to beat him, you can't keep running away!"

Yamato frowned and saw Taichi stiffen. "What are they doing?" he asked when Ichijouji-san's harsh voice travelled to their hiding spot. "They are completely destroying the plan."

Yamato sighed. "I had a feeling that Daisuke would be difficult."

Taichi looked at him. "What do you mean?"

Yamato raised a blonde eyebrow. "It's quite obvious, Taichi. Daisuke clearly is ignoring Ichijouji-san's plan and going his own way. However, at this very moment, his scattering approach is making them look weak and cowardly to the Guardians."

Taichi's shoulders slumped in distress. Yamato watched the battle continue as the Guardians took matters into their own hands and further evolved their Digimon to Perfect.

"Amazing," Taichi breathed. "I wouldn't be surprised if they were holding back."

"It's possible. I have a feeling Ichijouji-san doesn't want to use all of their powers. It must take up a lot of energy."

Taichi nodded and continued to watch. The battle waged on until MetalGreymon devolved back to his Child level. Taichi felt relief wash over him. "They did it. The Guardians saved Agumon!"

Yamato smiled slightly as the Kuwagamon rescued Agumon before the Kaiser could make an order to retrieve him. Yamato saw the huge grin on Taichi's face as he laughed in relief and left his hiding spot to join the others.

Yamato followed his friend, noticing the anger in Ichijouji-san's eyes and the insane one on the Kaiser. He had a feeling this fight was far from over.

…

Ken ignored the Chosen when Kuwagamon retrieved Agumon. She was more than furious at them. They were a disgrace to be called Chosen Children or heroes. They were a disgrace to their Digimentals, which were separate vessels to their virtues. They made the Digimentals to be a complete extension to their amulets. However, the Chosen didn't have the backbone or training to use them correctly. The Digimentals were only being used to a fraction of their current state.

"Agumon!"

Ken gave a quick glance to the older Yagami before returning her attention back to the Kaiser. The Kaiser was just smiling. He didn't seem that disturbed that he lost Agumon. He was calm. Maybe a little too calm.

"Thank you so much, Motomiya-san, Montgomery-san!"

"It was our pleasure," Jun replied.

"Yeah, no problem," Wallace answered before his voice took on a more sarcastic tone when addressing the Chosen. "Although, things would have been a lot smoother and quicker if certain morons hadn't acted like cowards."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Daisuke snapped. "We saved Agumon, didn't we?"

It looked as if he expected them to save Agumon. It was as if he knew the Chosen would mess up her plan. If was as if he knew that Chosen were too weak and cowardly to even fight these controlled Digimon. This worried her.

"Save Agumon? You did no such thing!" Jun snapped at her brother. "You had the chance to stop Agumon when he was Greymon! Instead you scattered like cowards! We had to fight the Airdramon and defeat MetalGreymon! I have never seen such cowardice in all my life! And you dare call yourself a leader!"

Ken closed her briefly to contain the fury that was starting to boil over. It wouldn't help if she lost her temper. She couldn't waste her time on them. She had to keep her cool if they were to face the Kaiser and whatever he had planned next.

"It wasn't right!" Daisuke snapped at his sister. "We didn't need to fight him! We could have done it without fighting him!"

 _The fool._ Ken's eyes snapped open in anger. She was unable to contain her fury as she spun on her heel to face Daisuke. Ken ignored the others as her amulet reacted to her emotions, completely engulfing her in a soft white light.

"Is that what you think?" Ken asked with an edge of anger in her voice. The other members of Daisuke's team took a step back as Ken marched angrily towards Daisuke. "That you could help Agumon by running away, by not fighting him?" Daisuke held his ground as she stopped in front of him. "You are a complete fool for thinking that," Ken said coldly, making the other Chosen flinch.

"Oh, so I'm a complete fool for wanting to find another way, huh?" Daisuke asked sarcastically. He balled his hands into fists. "I'd rather be a fool then a murderer!"

" _Daisuke!_ " Taichi and Hikari yelled together in shock and disbelief.

"No! I saw the way she ordered her Digimon to kill those Airdramon!" He glared at her in challenge. "You didn't have to kill them! We could have freed them!"

Ken narrowed her eyes in unsuppressed anger. "A murderer, huh?" she asked emotionlessly. The boy had no idea who he was messing with.

"Let me tell you something, you sorry excuse of a leader." Daisuke stiffened at her harsh and cold tone. "Not all Digimon are good. There are Digimon who would want to kill you. There are Digimon who don't care if you live or die! There are those who will not show you mercy or allow you to escape. There are those who would rather hunt you down and make sure you don't see the light of day."

She lifted up her hand and snapped her fingers. "From your little display today, you and your team would have been killed like that."

Daisuke opened his mouth to say something, but Ken didn't let him. She'd had it with his attitude and lack of leadership.

"You are nothing but a spineless, weak, immature coward," she growled. "You are a disgrace to be my successor! Where is your courage, Chosen? Where is your spine?"

"I…"

"This is not a game!" She poked her finger into his chest, hard. "I told you, you don't win battles by running away. Don't you understand the consequences of your actions?"

Ken growled lowly as Daisuke staggered back in confusion. He had no idea. He had no idea of the damage they could have avoided.

"But, he's our friend," Daisuke's voice cracked slightly.

Ken pointed to Agumon, who was bruised, hurt and unconscious. "This could have been avoided if you only co-operated with the plan!"

Daisuke's pale face turned to Agumon, taking in his unconscious form. He swallowed hard, trying to clear his throat. "But… we would have to fight him… I didn't want to hurt him."

Ken's fury turned down a bit, but she was still glowing from her powers. "Look at him, Motomiya-san! I thought you said Agumon was your friend!"

"He is!" Daisuke yelled, his voice shaking with emotions.

Ken's eyes softened slightly. "Then you must fight to protect him." Daisuke looked at her with uncertainty. Ken smiled sadly as her voice took on a more softer tone. "If you do not fight, who will protect the Digimon? If you do not fight, who will fight for them when they can not?"

Daisuke looked at her as she spoke those questions. He looked startled at the soft tone she used.

"Can't we do it without hurting them?"

Ken shook her head sadly. "It is not that easy, Motomiya-san. You can not win battles by not fighting. You have to learn that sometimes fighting is the only opinion to protect your friends."

Daisuke's bit his lip as he took in her words. Ken could see an array of emotions in his eyes. "Tell me..." He looked at her. "Are the Digimon your friends?"

"Of course they are!"

"Agumon?" He nodded. "What about V-mon?"

His eyes widened. "Of course I care about V-mon! He's my best friend!"

"Then prove it!" Ken's voice was harsher again, but held some its warmth. "If he is your friend, you must fight! You are not fighting to kill. You are fighting to protect him, to protect everyone! Fighting does not make you a murderer! You kill only when there is no other way! If you care at all, you must fight and not run away! Prove your friendship and fight!"

Daisuke closed his eyes as he took in her words. He let out a long breath as he realized that Ken was right. He'd been acting like a coward. If he wanted to stop the Kaiser, then he had to fight. If anything, he'd do it to protect his friends. Daisuke opened his eyes and stared into Ken's violet ones. He bowed his head in shame.

"I'm sorry, Ichijouji-san. You are right… I was acting like a coward." His eyes turned to the Kaiser with new determination. "I will fight to protect the Digimon. They are my friends and I will protect them."

A smile crossed Ken's features as a bright light shot from the ground. _Daisuke has finally proven his worth to Jun's Digimental. Well done_ _._

…

The Kaiser watched on as his partner traded sides. He couldn't care less. He was useless. However, the new girl on the other hand was a different story all together.

She had power and commanded her two team-mates like a unit. She could be the perfect addition to his army. He watched hungrily as she displayed raw power.

 _Magnificent. I must have her_ _._

He watched as the Guardian, yes that's what Kuwagamon said they were, yelled at the pathetic Chosen. The Guardian's words were wise and filled with anger and raw power.

He smiled as the Chosen backed away in fear. They had angered the wrong person. He studied the girl possessively. He must have her.

"Hmm?" He frowned as a blue light came out of the ground, revealing another of those troublesome Digimentals. He narrowed his eyes. This could be a problem. It was time to begin Plan B.

…

Ken turned back to the Kaiser when he started laughing. She knew it wasn't over. He must have prepared for this.

"You pathetic Chosen! Did you really think it would be that easy?" he sneered. "I knew you were too weak and I was right!" He laughed. "If you can't handle MetalGreymon and a few Airdramon, what makes you think you can handle my army?"

 _I knew it! I knew he had another agenda!_

"What's going on?" Miyako cried as the ground shook violently.

"Trouble!" Ken yelled.

After she said those words, the Kaiser's army of controlled Digimon came out of their hiding spots. _There's so many._ There were twenty DarkTyranomon, fifteen Sangloupmon and a Parrotmon. Ken grit her teeth as the Digimon came charging at them.

Ken turned to her best friend. "Wallace, shield!"

Both of their amulets glowed brightly as they faced their palms out. "We call upon the Ancient Powers of Light and Destiny! Light and Destiny Shield!"

Gold and white light shot from their palms and surrounded both the Chosen and Guardians in a big force field. Ken narrowed her eyes as the Chosen jumped back when five Sangloupmon slammed into the force field and bounced right back.

 _We have no choice. We have to get involved_ _._

Ken let out a breath when she and Wallace stopped glowing. She turned to him and he nodded, knowing what she was thinking.

"We're getting involved, aren't we Princess?"

"We have no choice, Wallace. The Chosen don't have the power to take down all these Digimon."

"What are you talking about, Ichijouji-san?" Hikari asked in worry.

Ken turned to her and said instead: "Which of your Digimon can evolve to Perfect?"

Hikari, Takeru, Yamato, and Taichi raised their hands, while the others shook their head no. Ken frowned slightly. Looks like they could only use Hikari and Yamato. Shame Miyako and Daisuke's Digimon couldn't evolve normally yet.

"I'm afraid we can only help Gabumon and Tailmon to reach their Perfect forms."

Their eyes widened. "Really?"

Ken nodded. "Please step forward with your Digivices." Yamato and Hikari stepped in front of them, holding their devices in their hands. Jun placed her right hand over Yamato's, while Ken did the same for Hikari.

Ken closed her eyes as she focused on the link that connected them together. It took a moment or two, but she found it. Ken added a very small fraction of her powers into Hikari's Digivice, allowing her Digimon to evolve this one time.

Several gasps could be heard when she opened her eyes. Both Gabumon and Tailmon, who reverted from Nefertimon, glowed brightly in their respective colours.

"Amazing," the Chosen breathed as Gabumon and Tailmon evolved into their Perfect forms.

"Gabumon super evolve to… WereGarurumon!"

"Tailmon super evolve to… Angewomon!"

"WereGarurumon, go help the others!" Yamato yelled to his partner, glad to not be on the sidelines anymore.

"Go show them who's boss!" Hikari cheered.

Ken and Jun stepped back with small smiles on their face. Wallace placed a supportive hand on her back.

"You okay?" he whispered into her ear. Ken smiled at him, shaking off the slight fatigue she was feeling. She couldn't stop now. They still had a job to do. She could pass out later.

Ken took a deep breath and turned toward her team-mates. _It's time._ "Let's go help the Digimon."

"Alright," they nodded, but Wallace gave her a look that showed he was worried for her.

"Don't worry, Wallace. I'll be fine once this chaos is over."

Wallace sighed in resignation. "Let's go then. I'm assuming you want to kick some Kaiser's butt?"

Ken batted her eyes at him. "What gave you that idea?"

Jun laughed as she exited the force field, much to the Chosen's shock.

"Where are you going?" Hikari asked. Ken turned to her as Wallace exited the force field.

"Stay here," she ordered. "Neither the controlled Digimon nor the Kaiser will be able to enter the force field." And then she left too.

Ken stood next to her fellow Guardians as they watched the battle raging on between the Digimon.

Kuwagamon was the only one who hadn't moved. He stood near the force field, waiting for the Guardians to address him.

"Can you guard us?" she asked him.

He bowed his head. "Yes, m'am."

Ken nodded and looked at her friends. They nodded, showing that they were ready. Ken took a deep breath. "Let's do this this."

"Right!"

Ken closed her eyes and cited the ancient incantation that they used against the Demon Lords. "We are the protectors of the Digital World!"

"We protect all who needs us!" Wallace spoke next.

"We protect their Love and Friendship!" Jun continued.

"We protect their Hope, Kindness and Light!" Ken continued in a power filled voice.

"We protect their Courage, Purity and Honesty!" Wallace continued after her.

"We are the ones who protect and create Miracles and Destiny!" Ken and Wallace yelled together.

"We are the Guardians!" After all three of them yelled those words, they were engulfed in the blinding light of their respective colours.

…

Hikari covered her eyes as the Guardians were engulfed in blinding light. She blinked a few moment before looking back up. She gasped when she saw the Guardians then. They had completely changed.

Ken and Jun were both wearing dress-like armour that made them look like Valkyrie Warriors. Ken's armour was pink, white and gold. In her hand, she held a pink and golden spear. And slung around her shoulder was a golden bow and several arrows in a carrying case. Jun's armour was red and blue. On her back, Jun had two carrying cases that held twin swords. Both Jun and Ken had their amulets freely showing around their necks. Ken's was a mixture of dark pink, gold and white, while Jun's was a mixture of red and blue.

Wallace wore a golden armour with a silver cape. In his hands, Wallace held a silver sword and a golden shield with the Crest of Destiny written on it. Like Ken and Jun, he had his golden amulet around his neck.

"Whoa," Hikari breathed in awe as she saw the Guardians change from normal kids to warriors. Hikari watched as Ken ordered Kuwagamon to guard them, while they joined their Digimon in battle.

Hikari watched in total shock as the Guardians took down one Sangloupmon after another. Jun attacked with her fire generated swords. It was amazing to see her gracefully attack several DarkTyranomon with blue and red flames. Ken and Wallace co-ordinated with one another as they fought several Sangloupmon at once. Wallace protected Ken's back when she fought with either her spear or arrows. Ken did the same with with her arrows when Wallace fought them with his shield or tried to attack the Dark Rings with his sword.

"Amazing," Miyako said in awe.

"Ichijouji-san might be better at kendo than grandfather," Iori commented as Ken swiftly took five Sangloupmon down with her spear.

"Remind me never to anger them," Daisuke said with a wince. They all looked at him in disbelief. "What?"

"I think it's a little late for that," Yamato comment dryly.

Daisuke laughed nervously. "Right."

"I think we are all guilty of that," Takeru said with a sad smile. Miyako and Iori nodded.

Hikari sighed as she returned her attention to the battle. She then gasped, catching the others' attention, when she saw the Kaiser jumping off Airdramon and tackling Ken away from Wallace and deeper into the battle field.

"Ichijouji-san needs our help!"

"What's going on Hikari?" Taichi asked.

"The Kaiser is after Ichijouji-san!"

He paled. "That's not good. Can you image how powerful he'll be if he manages to control at least one of the Guardians?"

"We have to help her!" Hikari exclaimed, ready to leave the force field to help the older girl.

"I think we have bigger problems," Daisuke spoke up.

"And what's that?" Miyako asked.

"The bird kind," Daisuke said as he pointed to the Perfect level Digimon, Parrotmon, that was charging straight for them.

…

Ken grunted as she got to her feet. She glared at the Kaiser. She may have agreed to help save Kuwagamon's partner from whatever evil was controlling him. However, that didn't mean she couldn't kick his sorry butt back to Russia.

Ken used her spear to block several of the Kaiser's attacks with relative ease. "Is that the best you've got?" she taunted. "I've faced angels scarier then you!"

"Oh, is that so?" the Kaiser asked as he attacked with his whip. "That wouldn't be a surprise, considering how powerful you are."

Ken frowned as she dodged his attacks. She countered his attacks one after another. She narrowed her eyes as he tried to knock her off her feet with his whip. Ken caught the whip with her spear and spun around. The Kaiser looked surprised at the move and was taken aback when Ken yanked the whip out of his hand and knocked him to the ground.

"I think you've used that quite enough, don't you think Flashy Boy?"

Ken smirked at this stunned expression as she threw the whip far, far away from them. "Flashy Boy?"

"What?" she asked innocently. "Don't you like my name for you?" The Kaiser stared at her in total bewilderment a few seconds before his expression changed to one of amusement.

Ken narrowed her eyes in suspicion as the blonde devil brush himself off and stood. He smirked cruelly at her as his eyes wandered her body. Ken grit her teeth. _Why is it always the cute, blonde ones that have to be evil?_ _She_ wondered in disgust.

"Well," he said in a mocking tone. "Aren't you something?"

"Sorry," she said as her nose scrunched up in distaste. "You're not my type."

"Oh?" he asked as he began to circle her with eyes of a predator. "What is your _type,_ Guardian?"

"None of your business!" she growled as she held her spear in a defensive position. The Kaiser looked at her hungrily and she had to hold back a shudder at a memory of another blonde that eyed her the same way.

"Oh we'll see," he said as he lunged at her. Ken dodged him again and growled in annoyance when the evil blonde landed next his whip. He smirked at her, looping his whip back around his belt. Ken furrowed her eyes in confusion. Kaiser tilted his head to the side, mockingly.

Ken kept her guard up. She didn't trust Flashy Boy one bit. She readied her spear to strike with her Virtue of Light, but was caught off guard when an Airdramon attacked the ground. The shock wave of the Digimon's attack knocked Ken off her feet and threw her back to the ground.

Ken groaned as she struggled to get back to her feet. However, her legs refused to listen as the fatigue of overusing her powers to protect the Chosen and maintaining Tailmon's Perfect form, in addition to her partner, was finally catching up to her. Ken collapsed back to her knees and only looked up when the Kaiser laughed.

The Kaiser smiled at her as he settled himself on Airdramon's head. Ken grit her teeth as she used her spear to help her get up. "Until next time, my pretty worthy adversary." Ken watched in frustration as the Kaiser escaped. She sighed and closed her eyes as she fought to stay conscious.

"PRINCESS!" Ken opened her eyes, despite the dizziness. Her vision blurred as a golden figure ran towards her. Ken fought against the darkness that started to take over her vision, but she no longer had the energy to do so. Ken felt her spear slip from her hands. Without any support, she fell to her knees. Her mind gave in to the welcoming darkness as she collapsed into the safety of her prince's arms.


End file.
